Jenni Schlosberg
Jenni Schlosberg
Founder
An enrolled citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Jenni brings two decades of hands-on community work, the 10-acre Atoka County homestead, and the lived origin of Amerind Soul.
Attributes of Benevolence
Extending a hand because we should.
Amerind Soul is a Native-owned nonprofit rooted in Oklahoma Indian Country, within the Choctaw and Cherokee Nation reservations, with a heart for rural and tribal communities.
Purpose
Stewardship carried forward.
We believe stewardship is not a program; it is a way of life. For generations, tribal communities have understood that caring for the land, the water, and each other is not optional.
Amerind Soul exists to carry that principle forward through direct service and strategic support. The work is warm, practical, and close to the ground: food distribution, navigation assistance, and rural development technical assistance alongside trusted partners.
Founder's story
In Jenni's words
"Our journey began in 2017 when I returned to Atoka County and established a homestead on a 10-acre property. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I moved two cabins onto the land, one for myself and one for my brother. Tragically, my brother was killed in a car accident shortly thereafter. In his memory, and in response to the growing needs I witnessed around me, I began using the additional cabin to support the area's underserved and undocumented homeless population.
What began as a modest effort to distribute food, clothing, and basic necessities quickly expanded as I grew more aware of the challenges faced by those I sought to help. Many needed assistance navigating their recovery journey, accessing detox facilities and sober living environments, and obtaining essential documentation such as birth certificates, state and tribal IDs. As I supported individuals in reconnecting with their tribal heritage, it became clear that more structured outreach was necessary.
In response, we established Amerind Soul to expand our capacity and scope. To date, our property has served over 200 individuals from the Choctaw Nation, offering vital support to those struggling with addiction, homelessness, and the impacts of disconnection from their communities."
Jenni Schlosberg, Founder
Where this work comes from
Lived experience before formal structure.
Before the 2017 homestead chapter, Jenni had roughly two decades of direct, hands-on experience with homelessness and addiction. This was not work from a desk, and it was not a formal program. It was the costly, personal work of opening her own home.
Close to 100 people cycled through that home over 20 years. That history is not a duplicatable model, and Amerind Soul does not present it as one. It is the lived foundation for why the organization is grounded rather than theoretical.
As Jenni and Bobby Joe built a household around nephews and a son, the direct in-home hosting wound down. The work evolved into the current model: food rescue and rural distribution, navigation assistance, and practical support from the homestead and beyond.
Where we work
Atoka County and rural southeastern Oklahoma.
Amerind Soul is rooted in Atoka County, Oklahoma, within the Choctaw Nation reservation, and extends through rural southeastern Oklahoma.
Amerind Soul serves Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma citizens and operates within the reservation, but it is not a tribal government program. The organization works from a posture of respect, relationship, and practical service.
Team
Built by people close to the work.
Pace Ellsworth
Pace Ellsworth
CIO
A Cherokee Nation citizen with operations and technology leadership across the Amerind ecosystem, Pace helps formalize and scale Amerind Soul's work with care for the people and places it serves.
Governance and status
Current nonprofit status.
Amerind Soul is a Native-owned nonprofit rooted in Oklahoma Indian Country. Federal tax-exempt status determination is pending.